Super Smash Bros. becomes fastest-selling Wii U game in US

Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U is off to a gangbuster start.
Nintendo

Super Smash Bros. Wii U, the latest game launch from Nintendo for its newest console, is off to a fast start.

During the three-day period of November 21-23, Nintendo sold 490,000 physical and digital units of Super Smash Bros. Wii U in the US, the company announced Tuesday. That makes it the fastest-selling Wii U game ever in the US market, knocking Mario Kart 8 off that perch.

Nintendo did not disclose sales figures from outside the United States for Super Smash Bros. (Mario Kart 8, meanwhile, sold through 1.2 million copies worldwide in a similar time frame.)

Super Smash Bros. Wii U launched in the US on November 21. The game features a wide range of famous Nintendo characters, including the iconic Mario and Link of the Legend of Zelda franchise fame. Unlike the platforming found in Super Mario Bros. or the kart racing in Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. Wii U is a fighting game.

The success of Super Smash Bros., though, can't offset the trouble Nintendo has run into with this console generation. The company's hardware sales are lagging the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the US, and investors are increasingly calling on Nintendo to make serious changes as competition gets stronger.

Nintendo's announcement also underscores another problem for the company: the success of third-party titles. Some third-party developers have been focusing their efforts on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One over the last year, arguing that they can get more value from their investment in the other platforms. While that's certainly not the case for all developers, Nintendo's third-party lineup is widely believed to be a bit softer than those on other platforms.